Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - August 2010

Can you believe that it is Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day again already? Mid-August? Is that even possible? Sigh. The days do tend to fly by when one reaches a certain age.

Nevertheless, I know my duty as a garden blogger, so out to the garden I go to show you what is blooming here this hot and dry month.


Well, you knew the first thing I would show you would be a crape myrtle, didn't you? These wonderful trees give us these blowsy blossoms all summer long - damn the heat and the drought! And in the winter, the seeds feed the birds. What's not to like? In fact, all the crapes in my yard were planted by the birds from neighbors' trees, so I have no idea what variety this is. The bird didn't tell me.


All my durantas died back to the ground during our extra cold winter, but 'Sweet Memory' has come back and is just beginning to bloom.


Another plant I thought I had lost to the winter was bulbine, but a few sprigs survived. Now those sprigs have grown and multiplied and they are blooming again.


My Hamelia patens seemed late with its blooms this year, but it's finally getting up to speed, and the hummingbirds are grateful.


The smaller of my two Esperanzas (Tecoma stans) is blooming its little heart out. The bigger one is growing vegetatively but shows no signs of blooming yet. Another mystery for the gardener.


Likewise, one of the Brugmansias is blooming and the other one isn't. But even the one that is blooming isn't blooming as prolifically as it did last year. I suppose it could have something to do with the fact that I moved them during the winter - again.


The coral honeysuckle vine has never been without blooms since early spring.


Yes, this is jatropha, another plant I had given up for dead after winter. It had died all the way back to the ground but now has regenerated and is full of these butterfly-inviting blooms.


Vitex 'Purple Montrose' is finishing up its second bloom phase of the year. It's hard to find one of its blossoms that doesn't have a bumblebee on it.


All over the garden, salvias and sages of many kinds bloom on, heedless of the weather. This one, I believe, is 'Indigo spires'.


It's not only flowers that are blossoming on the salvias. Baby green anoles peek out from the leaves of just about any plant that you look at.


Last week I severely pruned my Anisacanthus wrightii 'Flame acanthus' that had flopped all over the place and I commented that the hedge would be in bloom again within another month. Well, you can lop about three weeks off of that estimate!


I don't know the name of this purple verbena. It was in a mixed planter that I bought for some quick color in the spring and the variety wasn't identified, but it has been a real winner. It has been in bloom all summer.


The 'Texas Star' hibiscus has lived up to its reputation as a prolific bloomer.


And this mystery hibiscus also has been in bloom since spring and continues to send out two or three of these lovely blossoms every day.


Nothing daunts 'Katie' ruellia for long. She just keeps on truckin'.


The same can be said for my old species canna. I don't know its name so I just call it Mrs. Lui after the neighbor that first gave it to me, but it is a winner. It blooms repeatedly throughout spring, summer, and fall, and hummingbirds and butterflies absolutely love it.


'Turk's cap', of course, is another hummingbird pleaser.


This Gulf Fritillary butterfly doesn't know or care that this butterfly weed was planted to attract Monarchs. When the Monarchs are away, the Fritillaries will happily fill that niche. There's even a passionvine planted nearby for the Fritillary to lay her eggs on once she finishes sipping nectar.

So that's my garden tour for the month. I heard on the radio earlier that the heat index today may be up to 119 degrees Fahrenheit, so you'll forgive me if I head indoors where it's cool. Why don't you mosey on over to Carol's May Dreams Gardens and check out some of the other gardens participating in this month's Bloom Day?

Thanks for visiting!